Traction chain



March'18, 1941. REYBURN TRACTION CHAIN Filed Oct. 1,938

} MAW BY INVE TOR (/OHN R Q BURN ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 18,1941 i TRACTION CHAIN John R. Reyburn, Fairfield, Gonn., assignor to American Chain & Cable Company, Inc., a corporation of New York Application October 4, 1938, Serial No. 233,213

9 Claims. (Cl. 152-243) The present invention relates to traction to which are secured H-shaped tread members chains for motor vehicles, more particularly for comprising a central connecting tread link I of vehicles such as farm tractors and the like. An hour-glass shape to the four lobes of which are old. type of traction device, such as mud grips connected chain sections 8, 9, ill and H conor plates, had projecting flanges that dug deeply nected by links l2 and books 13 to the side into soft mud or loose earth to provide adequate chains 5 and 6.

traction. In a more recent type disclosed in my. As appears from. the various figures, and as U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,053,047, granted Septhe link is viewed in Figs. 3 and 4 and in chain tember 1, 1936, adequate traction is provided by section 8 in Fig. 1, each of the links comprises chain sections comprising relatively high open a pair of road engaging arcuate lobes or side 1 0;

loop-like twisted links which under great tracelements I5 and i6 and a pair of tire engaging tive effort, unless limiting means is provided, arcuate lobes or end elements l'i and H8. The may roll to such an extent as to intertwine and link may be formed from an elliptical blank such shorten the cross chain causing the links to be as shown at I9 in Fig. 2 which when bent transditions may injure the tire and also reduce the dle shaped link as appears more clearly from amount of projection of the links from the sur- Fig. 4. The shape and dimensions of the blank face of the tire thereby reducing their tractive shown in Fig. 2 are such that when the blank effect. These links may also rotate about an axis is bent into semi-cylindrical saddle form the I normal to the plane of the link and as these links link so produced will be circular as viewed in are elongated such rotation may, shorten the plan, as shown. in Fig. 3, and the distances becross chain. g tween the points at the opposite ends of differ- One of the objects of my invention is to conent diameters of the link will be the same and struct a cross chain member of links possessing the distances between any point mid-way along embedded in the tire which under certain conversely about the axis aa will produce a sad- 145i the same high tractive effect as those of the the length on half of the link and any other 25 patent and which are of such configuration that :point on the other half of the link will be subthe cross chain is not appreciably shortened by stantially the same. A link so formed may be rolling and rotational movements of the links. rotated about the ads normal to and the axes v Another object of this invention is the conin the plane of the link without shortening the So struction of a link which may be used interlength of the cross chain, and either pair of lobes changeably end and bottom for side and top to may in the assemblage engage the tire or road.

simulate in operation relatively high twisted As disclosed in Fig. 4, I prefer to construct the links of opposite twists in limiting rotational link so that it will appear to be of semi-circular movement of an adjacent link. form in end View and side View and preferably Other objects of this. invention will appear such semi-circular outline will be of substan- 35 from the following description taken in ccnnectially the same diameter as the diameter of the tion with the drawing, in whichlink when viewed in plan as in Fig. 3. The

Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view of a section of a radii of the projected outlines of the loop or conventional type of chain showing a cross con lobe elements l5, l6, I1 and 18 may be the same 'nected tread member comprising links conor larger than the radius of the link as viewed 40 structed in accordance with my invention; in plan in Fig. 3 and links of relatively lower Fig. 2 is a plan view of a substantially elliptical height than that illustrated may be produced fiat link blank from which my improved link if desired. Insofar as certain features of the may be formed; 7 invention are concerned the link shown in Fig. 4 Fig. 3 is a. bottom plan view of my improved may, as viewed from the side and end, be 45 form of link; and v p I U-shaped to increase the amount of projection Fig. 4 is an end View of said link. of the lobes l5 and I6. For the purpose of disclosing my invention, I In chain. sections 8 and 9 in Fig. 1, I have have illustrated a section of a tire chain comindicated the high and low points of the links prising an arrangement of elements such as disby lines H--H and LL, and as appears from 50 closed in the patent above referred to, but it th'isfigure the links may assume various rotated is to be understood, of course, that the tread positions about the axes. normal to the planes of members may be secured upon the tire by any the links without shortening the chain sections other means and may alsotake any other form. by substantial amounts. Fig. 1 shows portions of side chains 5 and 6 I prefer to connect the inner links of each 5 of the chain sections to the central connecting link in the relation shown in chain sections 8, ID and l I so that rolling movement of these links is limited in one direction, the direction in which they tend to roll under, forward traction, and I also prefer to connect the outer links to the inner links in such a manner that their rotational movement in the same direction is limited by the inner links.

If desired I may first assemble the links of each of the chain sections including the links l2 and I3 as in chain section 8 and in the case of a central connecting link having the medial portions of its strands sufficiently spaced, I may connect the inner link of each chain section in the relation to the link 1 shown in chain section 8. One chain section may be slid into the position of chain section 9 where the links will be disposed as shown. By rotating the links about their axis normal to the plane and axes in the plane of the links, I may obtain the relation shown in chain section II in which, the rotational movement of the inner link is prevented by the center link 1 and that of the outer link by the inner link, with the various lobes in the positions indicated. In the case of the inner link the tire engaging lobes l1 and 3 are now the road engaging lobes either of which may be in the forward position. The outer link may have either of its road engaging lobes in the forward position. Having so arranged the links this chain section may be moved into the position of chainsection ll. Chain section I is merely chain section 8 slid into the position of chain section In. Or I may in the case of the hour glass central connecting link directly connect chain section 10 as shown and slide it into the position of chain section II and by rotation of the links as before make the links assume the relation shown in chain section I I.

If for any structural or functional reasons it is desired to use the lobes I 5 and I6 as road engaging lobes in all cases, then I may assemble chain sections 8 and ID as described, and for chain sections 9 and I! I may assemble the links as disclosed in chain section II with the inner link having its lobes l5 and I6 extending upwardly in this figure. In this construction the rotation of the inner link is limited by link I and that of the outer link by the inner link. Such relation is not absolutely necessary and I may connect the links in any manner and obtain the same length chain sections and efiective traction.

As long as the links are connected to other links at diametrically opposite points, the length of the cross chain sections will remain substan tially the same whether such connections occur at the low, high or intermediate points of the links. As the links are of circular form as viewed in plan, the chain sections will not be shortened any appreciable amount by relative rotational movement of adjacent links. As is now apparent, the links of my invention may be connected together and to the central connecting link in any relation and may then be rotated and rolled to assume the relation to each other and the central connecting link shown in chain sections 8, l0 and H in which rotational movement of the inner links in the same direction is limited and in which the inner links limit rotational movement of the outer links in the same direction.

-While I have disclosed but one embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that I reserve the right to make such changes as fall within the principles of my invention and of the scope of the claims hereto appended.

I claim:

1. A chain link for tire chains consisting of a closed loop of metallic wire of substantially saddle-like form with arcuate side elements and arcuate end elements, all of said arcuate elements being of substantially the same radius and said link when viewed in plan having the projected outline of a circle.

2. A chain link for tire chains consisting of a closed loop having when viewed in plan the projected outline of a circle and when viewed from the sides and ends the projected outlines of parts of circles no greater than a semi-circle.

3. A chain link for tire chains consisting of a closed loop having when viewed in plan the projected outline of a circle and when viewed from the sides and ends the projected outline of a semi-circle of the same radius as that of said circle.

4. A chain link for tire chains consisting of a closed loop having when viewed from the ends the projected outlines of parts of circles no greater than a semi-circle and when viewed in plan the projected outline of a circle.

5. A chain link for tire chains consisting of a closed loop having when viewed in plan the projected outline of a circle and when viewed from the sides and ends in directions at right angles to each other, the projected outlines of a semi-circle of the same radius as that of said circle.

6. A chain link for tire chains consisting of a closed loop having when viewed in plan the projected outline of a circle and when viewed from the sides and ends in directions at right angles to each other, the projected outlines of parts of circles no greater than a semi-circle.

'7. A chain link for tire chains consisting of a closed loop having when viewed in the plan the projected outline of a circle and provided with oppositely projecting pairs of lobes of the same shape and dimensions and of many times greater height than the cross sectional dimension of the stock of which the link is made and whereby either pair of lobes may be used as tire or as road engaging lobes.

8. A tire chain comprising cross tread means each consisting of transversely extending chain sections and a central connecting link, the links constituting said chain sections being of identical construction each comprising pairs of tire and road engaging lobes and having when viewed in plan the projected outline of a circle and when viewed from the ends and sides the projected outline of semi-circles of the same radius as said circle, the inner ends of the inner links of the chain sections passing through the central connecting link in planes arranged at an acute angle with the main plane of the central connecting link to limit rotational movement of the inner links in the same direction, and the outer links having their inner ends extending in planes making an acute angle with the main planes of the inner links to limit rotational movement of said outer links in the same direction.

9. A tire chain comprising cross tread means each consisting of transversely extending chain sections and a central connecting link, the links constituting said chain sections being of identical construction each comprising pairs of tire and road engaging lobes and having when viewed in plan the projected outline of a circle and when viewed from the ends and sides arcuate outlines of at least as great a width as height, the central connecting link comprising lobes with which the inner ends of the inner links are diagonally related to limit rotational movement of the innerlinks in the same direction, and the outer links having their inner ends diagonally related to the outer ends of the inner links to limit rotational movement of said outer links in the said same direction,

JOHN R. REYBURN. 

